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I used to waste 15–20 minutes writing prompts.
Now I spend 60 seconds and the images are dramatically better.
The secret? I let the AI write the prompt for itself.
This one technique works for marketing banners, interior design mood boards, social posts, product mock-ups, book covers, thumbnails… literally anything.
Here’s the exact system I use in 2026 (works with most LLM’s):
Step 1: The 1-Sentence Brain Dump
Tell the AI what you want in plain English.
Example:
“I need a hero image for a productivity newsletter. Modern workspace, morning light, warm tones, calm but energetic mood, realistic photo style.”
Step 2: The Magic Prompt (copy-paste this)
You are an expert prompt engineer.
Turn the following request into the single best, most detailed prompt possible.
Rules:
- Use cinematic lighting and composition terms
- Specify camera, lens, film stock or render style when it fits
- Add mood, colour palette, and negative elements
- Keep it under 280 words
- End with exact parameters: --ar 1200:630 --v 6 --stylize 250 (or whatever model needs)
Request: [paste your 1-sentence brain dump here]Quick templates you can steal
Newsletter / YouTube thumbnail → “bold 1200:630 thumbnail for [topic], high contrast, modern typography, [mood], cinematic lighting --ar 1200:630 --v 6”
Product mock-up → “ultra-realistic product photo of [item] on white marble, soft natural light from left, 85mm lens, f/2.8 --ar 3:2”
Social media → “vertical 1080:1350 image, [subject], bright lifestyle aesthetic, natural sunlight --ar 4:5”
Pro tip: The 2nd round (makes it insane)
Take the prompt the AI gave you and reply:
“Make this prompt 30 % more detailed and cinematic. Keep the same aspect ratio.”
Your new 60-second trick
One-sentence brain dump
Paste into the Magic Prompt
Copy → generate
(Optional) Run the 2nd-round refinement
That’s it.
No more blank prompt box. No more generic-looking images.
Try it on whatever you need next, you’ll be shocked how much better the output is when the AI is doing the heavy lifting on the prompt itself.
Reply to this email and send me your best result. I read every single one.
Happy prompting,
Jamie
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